Protective device



July 8,- 1941. A. clANl 2,248,609

BROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed Jan. 24, 1940 z sheets-sheet 1' ATTORNEYS 4July 8, '1941.

A. clANl .l 2,248,609

PRoTEcTxvE DEVICE Filed Jan. 24, '.1946

ZZB @1574 v Sheets-Shane?. 2

` INVENTOR Z a. Y

ll( ATTORNEYS Patented July 8, 1941 T ortica rnorEcTrvE DEVICE Americo Ciani, Mexico City, Mexico, assigner to Charles B. Williams, New York, N. Y.

Application 6 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to an alarm device for preventing burglaries and is more specifically addressed to providing a device which sets oi an audible alarm with or without simultaneous discharge of tear gas when the safe, vault, lock lboX, or other container which it is desired to protect is tampered with, and which will be free from the disadvantages inherent in alarm devices previously known.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an extremely sensitive balanced trip release which is adapted to be thrown out of its normal position of rest either by a disturbance of level or by a very slight jarring vibration. Such trip release, when actuated, sets in motion a suitable and eiective alarm. As here shown, this alarm comprises a spring-actuated mechanism for ilring cartridges or shells which maybe blanks, in which case the alarm is merely audible, or which may be charged with tear gas orY other uid for impairing the activity of the person tampering with the safe. This type of alarmdevice, being entirely mechanical, requires neither electrical connections to an outside source of current supply nor the installation of batteries or the like. Being small and compact, it may be attached, in the event that it is a safe or strong box which is to be protected, in the interior of the safe, so that it cannot be tampered with fromthe. outside and so that once placed in motion it cannot be shut off except \by one having the proper means of opening the safe, whether by combination lock or otherwise. Similarlymvhen the alarm device is associated with a window or steel curtain, it is preferably enclosed in a suitable container which must be moved to open the window or steel curtain, so that the alarm, once started, can only be shut 01T by one equipped with the key or combination for the lock of the container. The trip release mechanism is equipped with a brake which acts as a safety catch so that the mechanism can be rendered inoperable during the normal period of use of the safe or vault, and may be rendered releasable only during such periods as it is left unattended.

A feature of this invention is that any vibration or change of level of the safe or casing in which the trip release mechanism is positioned, such as would be caused by the application of a tool to open the same, or the lifting up or moving or carriage thereof, will throw said mechanism out of balance to initiate the alarm, and said mechanism is constructed in such manner that once its normal balance is disturbed, the tendency toward unbalance increases progres- January 24, 1940, serial No. 315,359 In Mexico May 1o, 1939 to the level from which it. was originally dis-l turbed. n

According to one form of this invention, the. alarmcomprises a means for firing successively a plurality of shells, which may be blank cartridges or tear gas or other shells as desired, the ring mechanism being operated by .a spring-actuated set of gears and clockwork normally kept at rest` by the delicately balanced trip release mechanism mentioned above. The exact nature of the alarm may be Varied to suit individual requirements, In the form here shown, the alarm is free of electrical connections and is wholly contained within the safe tobe pro.- tected within a locked container where it cannot be tampered with during operation.

Referring to the drawings which form apart of this application, and wherein the invention isV shown in its application to a small safe of such Weight that it is subject to being lifted and moved by handv Fig. 1 is a side View of a safe, with the wall partly cut away, showing a device embodying this invention positioned therein;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of said device, with its housing partly cut away;

Fig. 3Yis a side elevation, partly cut` away, showing the operative parts of said device;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view, with parts cut away, looking in the direction of thearrows 4, 4 on Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical elevation, with parts cut away and parts of the trip mechanism shown in section, looking generally in the direction ofl the arrows 5, 5 on Fig. 3;

Figs. 6 and 7 are large-scale perspective drawings of the trip release in diiferent positions, and

` Fig. 8 is a partial perspective drawing showing,l

the cartridge carrier ready for loading and reassembly. Y

The' mechanism to be described is secured between spaced parallel plates A and B which may -in turn lbe rigidly mounted inside the safe or other object it is desired to protect, preferabl attached to a wall thereof.

A pair of pivots I, I arranged in a horizontal axis form a fulcrum for support of the bent-bar member 2 of the trip release, said bar 2 having oppositely disposed sockets 3 engaging withy the pivots I, I. The trip release comprises the bentbar member 2, as shown in Fig. 6, having on its upper face, removed from the axis of the pivots, a stud or pillar 4 at the upper end of which a lever or weight-member is secured by screw 6, so that the lever is freely rotatable about the axis of the screw, the axis of rotation of the lever being near one of its ends and the lever being preferably (but not necessarily) longer than the distance between the axis of pillar 4 and the axis of pivots I, I. The combination of the bent-bar, the stud with its holding screw and the lever, just described, comprises the balanced trip release. The end of the bent-bar farther removed from the stud 4 terminates in a preferably rounded detent 'I arranged to engage with a shallow recess or depression 8 in the outer rim of flywheel 9. The various parts are so proportioned (a) that when lever 5 is parallel with the major axis of bar 2 in the position shown'in Fig. 6 and the detent 1 is engaged with recess 8, sucient of the effective mass of the combined trip release is positioned beyond the axis of pivots I, I to maintain detent 'I in engagement with recess 8, (b) that when the lever of the entire mechanism is disturbed in a direction counterclockwise, as seen in Fig. 5, the resulting rotation will move sufficient of the mass of lever 5 through the vertical plane which contains the axis of pivots I, I to cause bent-bar 2 to rotate on said pivots in a direction tending to raise detent I out of depression 8, and (c) that when the level of the entire mechanism is disturbed in a plane other than the one just mentioned, lever 5 will rotate about the axis of pillar 4, thus moving suicient of the effective mass of the combined trip release through the vertical plane which contains the axis of pivots I, I to produce the same operation and achieve the same result of raising detent I out of depression 8. The relationship of the weights balanced about the fulcrum formed by pivots I, I is such that detent 'I rests very lightly in depression 8 and will tend to rise from such engagement as a result of vibration, as well as disturbance of level.

The alarm mechanism now to be described' commences to operate upon withdrawalof detent 'l fromengagement with depression 8 of the ywheel 9; The ywheel 9 is mounted on shaft I0 at one end of which is fastened gear II which meshes with the teeth on gear wheel I2 which, in turn, is fastened to shaft I3. One face'of wheel I2 is adapted to act as a brake, the braking force being applied frictionally by thumbscrew I4; Mounted on flywheel shaft IB is a governor comprising fourflat springs I5 equipped with weights I6 and fastened at one end by screws I'I to the shaft I0, and at the other end to disc I8 slidably positioned on shaft I and adapted, as it is drawn towards flywheel 9, to come into frictional contact with plate I9 and thus to prevent excessive speed.

At the end of shaft I3 opposite gear wheel I2 is a gear which is connected through a conventional chain of clockwork gears to a` main spring located in spring barrel 2I and equipped with winding key 22.

The gear 23 directly. connected to the main spring meshes with a gear 24 which is keyed to cam 25, the motion of the spring being such that cam 25'rotates in a clockwise direction, as seen 1n Fig., 3.

Cam 25, during its rotation, engages shoulder 26. which is rmly bolted to reciprocating plate 2l, slidably supported by screws 28 and 29 within the4 slots 3G and 3I. Firing hammer 32 is firmly bolted to plate 2'I` and is equipped with coil spring 33, which tends to throw the firing hammer into.

firing position after it has been cocked by the motion of cam 25. This is effected by positioning spring 33 between collar 34 fixed on firing hammer 32 and the stop 35 which is fastened to plate A. At the end of hammer 32, farthest removed from the stop 35, is firing pin 36.

At the lower end of plate 21 is a dog 3l pivoted on screw 38 and normally held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by flat spring 39 and pin 40., Dog 3'I coacts with pawl 4I, which is pivoted at 42, and normally held by coil spring 43, so that the detent 44 faces the end of dog 31 while the pawl finger 45 engages one of the notches of ratchet 45.

As shown in Fig, 8, ratchet 46 is part of the cartridge carrier 41 which has a number of chambers 48 for insertion of shells 49. After the shells have been inserted, cover plate 50 is 1ocated in place by means of pins 52 which are arranged to extend through the holes 53 and the cover plate is then held in place by thumbscrews 54 engaging pins 52. Cover plate 50 is provided withopenings` 5I, each. of which is large enough to permit the entrance of firing pin 35, and which register with chambers 48. Aligned with the firing pin is a short nipple 55 which in turn connects with an. L 55 and another nipple 5l for conveying the gasdischarged by the cartridges or shells 49, preferably out the bottom of the safe or casing.

The.` assembled cartridge carrier 4'I is inserted by means ofthe morticed guide plate 58into the channel formedby. tongues. 59in which it slides downwardly under the influence of gravity until the lowest member; of the ratchet 46 comes in contact with finger 45 of pawl 4I.

Referring to Fig. 1, the mechanism just described may be` attached to the back wall C of safe D, in whichi case nipple 57' is arranged to communicate with the exterior of the safe.

To operate this device, cartridge carrier 4l is charged with shells andplaced in position with the bottom. of the ratchet 46 resting on pawlnger 45. The trip release is manually arranged with detentl engaged with recess 8 of flywheel 9. Before the safe is locked for the night, or for any other period during which it is to be left unattended, thumbscrewl I 4is released from contact with the braking surface of gear wheel I2 and care. is taken in closing and locking the safe so that it is not jarred. Due to the extremely sensitive balance of the. trip release, any tampering with the safe which causes a jarring or vibration or change in position of the safe will disengage detent 'I from the' recess 8 in flywheel 9. Due to the fact that lever 5 pivots freely about stud 4, there will be no tendency for the detent 'I to return to its position, but rather the increasedweight on the opposite side of pivots I, I will .eifectually keepthe bent-bar 2 out of contact. with. flywheel 9. The brake having previously been released there will now be nothing to restrain the clockwork. spring from moving, and it` will begin to rotate gear wheel 23. Excess speed of unwinding of the springwill be prevented in part by. the inertia of the mechanism itself and inpart bythe governor actionof weights I5 on'spri'ngs lizdrawingdisc I8into frictional relationwith the brakeplate I 9.

As the cam; 25. rotates in a clockwise direction (asseen inl Fig. 3), it.will.move stop 2B attached to reciprocatingplate 2'Ito the left (Fig. 3) and thisv will carry. with it hammer 32" until its position will be that as .shown by the dashed line 32' on Fig. 31 Atthe same time..the end of the dog 31 will engage with detent 44, thereby moving Vpawl 4I counterclockwise about pivot 42 to the position 4I indicated by the dashed lines, and releasing nger 45 from Contact with ratchet 46, thereby allowing cartridge carrier 41 to slide downwardly due to the force of gravity. However, as will be seen by the figure, dog 31 and detent 44 will only be in contact for a short time, after which pawl 4I is released and forced back by spring 43 so that the carrier 41 will only drop one notch before ratchet 46 is again intercepted by finger 45. When cam 25 has continued in its motion to the point where it disengages stop 26, the compression of spring 33 will force hammer 32 to the right and firing pin 36 will cause a shell 49 to explode. rIhe clockwork mechanism will continue in motion and cam 25, again coming into contact with shoulder 26, will cause a repetition of the movement of reciprocating plate 21, cartridge carrier 41, and so on, the result being the firing in succession of all the cartridges in the carrier.

The sensitivity of my device as herein described is due to the construction of the trip release and in part to the arrangement whereby the center of gravity of lever is eccentrically arranged relative to the axis of pillar 6 on which it freely pivots and whereby the point of pivotal support of lever 5 is raised above the axis of pivots I, I. In this way, as has already been mentioned, any tilting of the device about either a horizontal or a vertical axis will throw the delicately adjusted trip release mechanism out of balance and will lift the detent 1 out of engagement with the shallow cavity 8.

In more general terms, the axis I, I is normally maintained in a substantially horizontal position when the safe is resting undisturbed. The bent-bar member 2 is, strictly speaking, a lever of the first class, balanced upon fulcrum I, I, and having arms extending in oppositek directions. One of these arms provides a support for the pivotal mounting afforded by screw 6. In the preferred form of the invention, here shown, this pivotal mounting is elevated by the height of pillar 4 above the upper surface of the bent-bar member 2. What has been hereinbefore described as lever 5 is probably not a lever in the'strict sense of the term, but is a weightmember. In normal position of rest this weightrnember, pivoted upon the screw 6, is ofv such length and its mass is so distributed that in the normal position of rest (shown, for example, in Fig. 6) the center of gravity of weight-member 5 is displaced a substantial distance from the axis of screw 6 and a suicient distance along weight-member 5, so that said center of gravity is normally located on the opposite side from pivot 6 of the vertical plane containing the axis of fulcrum I, I. For example, as seen in Fig. 5, the vertical plane containing the axis of fulcrum I, I is indicated by the dot and dash lines 10. As seen in Fig. 5, the center of gravity of said member 5 will, in the position there shown, be located to the right of plane 10. However, while the arrangement mentioned is in most cases the most satisfactory, it will'be seen that what keeps detent 1 engaged with depression 8 is the fact that the center of gravity of the combined trip release (comprising bent-bar 2, pillar 4, screw 6 and lever 5) is on the right of the vertical plane 10. Hence, the center of gravity of lever 5, separately considered, need not be on the right of said plane.

Thus, disturbance of the safe aiording a change in its level will have either one or both y .of two possible eiects tending to release vthe alarm, Ain addition to vibration- If therdevice as a whole is moved so as to rotate (as seen in Fig. 5) in a counterclockwise direction, the combined center of gravity of the trip release ,will approach plane 10 and, if the rotation is carried far enough, will pass kthrough said plane. When this combined center of gravity has passed to the left of plane 10, detent .v1 is raised and the alarm is released..y l

On the other hand, if the disturbance of level of the safe as a whole is in such adirection as to rotate the axis of fulcrum I, I away from' the horizontal (if, for example, the top of the device shown in Fig. 5 may be assumed to move towards the eye` while the bottom remains in the plane of the paper), then member 5 will rotate under the linuence of gravity about pivot 6, as`so`on as the disturbance of level is suiiicient to'over-v come the very slight frictional resistance at the pivot, and member 5 will move towards the I'position indicated in Fig. 7. In so doing the center of gravity of member 5, which had preferably originally been stationed to the right of plane 1B, will approach or pass through p1ane'10, thereby moving the combined center of gravity of the vbalanced unit from the right-hand sideofplane 15 to the left-hand side thereof (as seen in Fig. 5). Thus, detent 1 is raised and the alarm is released. The sensitivity of the. trip release is increased, and the tendency of Weight-member 5 to rotate about pivot 6 in responsev to slight changes of level, or vibration,'is augmented by so arranging the weight-member that, inthe normal position of rest of the trip release, the free end (and consequently the center of gravity) of the weight-member is above its point'of support, substantially as shown in the drawings. Consequently, Vany displacement of the weight-member from dead center-wil1 cause it to rotate due to the force of gravity, and this rotation will continue until the total eiTective mass relationship has been changed sufficiently to insure the raising of detent 1 and the releasing of the alarm.

In the event the mechanism is disturbed in level in such a direction as to be represented'by a clockwise rotation of the parts shown in Fig. 5, there will, of course, be no such action as hereinbefore described, but by the construction shown, where the balanced unit is arranged so that its center of gravity is normally close totheplane 1I) and the parts are relatively light, vibration of such magnitude as would be involvedin handling or carrying of the safe will cause lever 5 to swing away from its dead center position and thus cause detent 1 to disengage from depression 8 through the action 'of such vibration. While this description has been limited to `one form of device embodying this invention, it is the intention that the form of the release members isnot of the essence, provided the masses are so distributed as to achieve the desired result, nor is the invention limited to release of any particular kind of alarm mechanism. Within the scope of this invention the alarm may be of any kind. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to use in connection with portable safes, but may be embodied in any container which would be disturbed either by vibration or by change of level in the course of an unauthorized attempt to gain access either to such container o r to some other structure.

' I claim:

1. Release mechanism for an alarm system including, in combination, a lever supported upon a normally Vsubstantially horizontal fulcrum and adapted, upon rotation about said fulcrum in'one direction, to cause said system to give an alarm, and a Weight-member pivotally mounted upon said lever, the axis of said pivotal mounting being non-parallel to the axis of said fulcrum and the center of gravity of said Weight-member being displaced laterally from the axis of its said pivotal mounting, the arrangement being such that when the center of gravity of the weightmember is in one position in its arc of rotation about the axis of its pivotal mounting, the lever will not move on its fulcrum to give an alarm, and rotation of said weight-member upon its pivotal mounting from said position mentioned will tend to cause said lever to move on its fulcrum to give an alarm.

2. Release mechanism for an alarm system, including, in combination, a lever balanced upon a normally substantially horizontal fulcrum and having its mass so distributed as to tend under the influence of gravity to rotate about said fulcrum in a direction to release the alarm system, and a weight-member pivotally mounted upon said lever for free rotation in a plane normally above the axis of said fulcrum, said lever and said Weight-member together forming a balanced trip release, the arrangement being such that in at least one position of said weight-member aboutits .pivotal mounting, the vertical plane containing the axis of said fulcrum lies between the center of gravity of the balanced trip release as a whole and the axis of said pivotal mounting.

3. Release mechanism for an alarm system including, in combination, a lever of the rst class the axis of Whose fulcrum is normally substantially horizontal and one of whose arms carries a detent engageable with a movable part of an alarm system, a pivotal mounting secured to one arm of said lever, the axis of said pivotal mounting being nonparallel to the axis of said fulcrum, and a weight rod supportedA on said pivotal mounting for rotation in a `plane normally above theaxis of said fulcrum and being of such length and so proportioned that in normal position of rest the center of gravity of said rod lies on the opposite side of said lfulcrum from said pivotal mounting, the arrangement being such that disturbance of level ofthe axis ofsaid fulcrum away from horizontal will cause said weight-member to rotateon its pivotal mounting and thus transfer suiiicient mass across the fulcrum to rotate said lever upon said fulcrum in a direction to release said detent from engagement with said alarm mechanism.

4. Release mechanism for an alarm system including, in combination, a lever of the rst class the axis of whose -fulcrum is normally substantially horizontal and one of Whose arms carries a detent engageable with a movable part of an alarm system, a pivotal mounting secured to one arm of said lever and aweight-rod supported on said mounting for rotation in a normally approximately horizontal plane spaced above the axis of said fulcrum, the said rod being of such length and its mass so distributed that in normal position of rest the combined center of gravity of the lever and the rod is on that side of the fulcrum tending to keep said detent in engagement with said movable part, the arrangement being such that both rotation of said lever on its fulcrum and disturbance of level of the axis of said fulcrum away from horizontal will shift the combined center of gravity of the lever and the rod to the opposite side of said fulcrum, whereby to release said detent from engagement With said movable part.

5. Release mechanism for an alarm system including, in combination, a lever supported upon a normally substantially horizontal fulcrum and adapted, upon rotation about said fulcrum in one direction, to cause said system to give an alarm, and a weight-member pivotally mounted upon said lever and having its center of gravity spaced laterally from the axis of its said pivotal mounting, the said'weight-member being free to rotate about its pivotal mounting in a plane which is non-horizontal, the arrangement being such that when said weight-member is in that position in its arc of rotation at which its center of gravity is at its highest elevation above its point of support the lever will not move on its fulcrum to give an alarm, and rotation of said weight-member upon its pivotal mounting from said position mentioned will-tend to cause said lever to move on its fulcrum to give an alarm.

6. Release mechanism for an alarm system including, in combination, a Weight-member pivotally mounted for free rotation in a plane normally slightly inclined from the horizontal and having its center of gravity spaced from the axis of its said pivotal mounting, said Weight-member having itsmass so distributed as to be capable of remaining at rest with its center of gravity at the highest Apoint in its arc of rotation by frictional resistance at the pivot and of being dislodged` from this position of rest by minor vibration overcoming said frictional resistance to rotate Fabout its said pivotal mounting under the influence of gravity away from said highest point, and meansactuated by rotation of said weightmember about its axis of pivotal mounting from saidhighest point to actuate said alarm, the arrangement being such that while said Weightmember remains at rest in the position mentioned, no alarm is given.

AMERICO CIANI. 

